Saturday 8 September 2018

OMG! It’s Sugar Free!


 Sugar Free Alternatives! Is It Even Possible?


Consuming sugar in large amounts has been a hot topic issue for a while. I absolutely love sugar to a point that I tend to over consume it.

I used to eat 3-5 chocolate bars a day and right up until a few weeks ago, I ate about 3-5 chocolate chip cookies everyday while driving and ate more sweets during the times that I was awake. This started to get fairly problematic after a while as I was starting to feel sluggish a lot.

As a primary school teacher, I need to be on my toes at all times and I tend to have a long commute to and from work. In order to dig myself out of the rut of always feeling so tired, I decided to try switching my diet. I started packing a healthy raw veggie meal with chunks of meat drizzled on top, a side of fruit and some extra water. While this was a good change, it wasn’t enough as I was still consuming a great deal of sugar and going through the spikes and dips. 

Last week, we found out that specialty stores, such as Purdy’s or Charlie’s Chocolate Factory carries sugarless chocolate and gummy bears. We also found some bakeries that make treats with Splenda. Today, at Safeway, we found sugarless chocolate chips that use Stevia instead of sugar as a sweetener. I am super excited about it because I bought saw cashews and almonds to make a sort of trail mix for my long drives as a healthier alternative to cookies.

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We also got some Steveia and at Superstore, where we found some sugarless Cocoa. I made some hot chocolate today to celebrate my first day of grad school. It is really easy to make and the recipe is as follows: Stir in 1 tablespoon of cocoa and 1 tablespoon of Stevia (this depends on your taste palate) into 1 cup of hot milk. Mix it well. Warm it again if needed and then drink.

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To enjoy some tea, warm some water in a kettle. When the water is hot, add in a tea bag of your choice. I prefer the Red Rose brand. Then add some Stevia instead of sugar. I usually take two teaspoons of sugar in my tea. Therefore, I only add 1 teaspoon of Stevia (half the amount of sugar as it is sweeter than sugar). Then stir until you are satisfied, remove the tea bag when ready and enjoy your warm beverage.

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From what I have learned so far, Stevia seems to be the healthiest and safest alternative to sugar as it has it stabilizes blood sugar levels and increases both insulin production and its effect on the cell membranes. Some brands of Stevia may contain other ingredients such as sugar alcohol erythritol. While I am okay with this alternative, you may want all natural Stevia. In that case, it is best to grow it yourself. Otherwise, read the ingredients and compare the different brands of Stevia as there are varying levels of other ingredients in them. 

I did not completely cut out sugar but I have reduced it drastically. The reason for this blog post is because I did not know that any of these products actually existed until recently. While I do not have Diabetes, if you do, these are some excellent ways to help you with your sweet tooth. For me, I am enjoying this as I feel healthier and I no longer have to deal with such heavy sugar highs and lows. If you are a parent, these are great alternatives to sugar based treats. Right now, I am in the process of looking for new alternatives to sugar and this is an exciting adventure for me. If you know of any other alternatives, please comment below so that we can learn from each other.
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